Minnesota Twins: Ranking the Top 35 Free Agent Relievers Available

The Minnesota Twins are facing a tough challenge ahead of the 2023 season. After the 2022 season went awry, fans are angry, and the roster has some pretty major holes. In order to fix things, the team needs to spend, and after seeing nine players entering the free agent pool, there’s lots of money to work with.

In addition to some potential trade moves (the Twins have a lot of decent talent in the high minors), the Twins could use help everywhere other than second, whether that be another catcher to pair with Ryan Jeffers, a shortstop, a true first baseman, any of the outfield spots (Buck needs a backup), or more pitching.

We rank the Top 35 relievers for the Minnesota Twins to go after in Free Agency.

For each list, we’ll be breaking down the positions into three groups: decent players who would be disappointments, good players who would fill the need, and top notch players that fans would be thrilled to get.

We’ve gone over all of the offensive positions of need:

• Catcher
• First Base
• Shortstop
• Outfield
• Starting Pitcher

We’ll finish up today’s list with what could be the team’s biggest need: the bullpen. While Kyle Farmer shouldn’t be the only shortstop they bring in, they at least have a player who is capable enough to start until Royce Lewis returns. The relief corps is in dire need of a major upgrade.

The team has some talent. Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Caleb Thielbar were excellent in 2022. Bounce-back years from Jorge Lopez and Jorge Alcala are very likely. Jovani Moran looked very impressive. The team needs eight relievers though, and right now, they have one for-sure stud, five (probably) good relievers, and the rest are major question marks.

Emilio Pagan and Trevor Megill were awful despite great stuff. Cole Sands, Josh Winder and Ronny Henriquez showed promise, but all three are far from sure things, which isn’t ideal as long far as long relief options go. The team needs some help, especially if they (correctly) want to use Duran as a key leverage reliever instead of traditional closer. Let’s go over some of their options.

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Relief Pitchers: No. 35-No. 22

• No. 35: Steve Cishek
• No. 34: Jimmy Nelson
• No. 33: Wily Peralta
• No. 32: Luke Weaver
• No. 31: Archie Bradley
• No. 30: Justin Wilson
• No. 29: Zack Britton
• No. 28: Matt Wisler
• No. 27: David Price
• No. 26: Mychal Givens
• No. 25: Scott Alexander
• No. 24: Tommy Kahnle
• No. 23: Trevor May
• No. 22: Pierce Johnson

The first seven names on this list all fall into the same category: non-roster signings with invites to big league Spring Training. Each of these players has been good in the past, but either was hurt, had a bad year in 2022 or just simply looked average. There’s no guarantee that they’d be a major upgrade over the players the team has now, but they’re worth a look.

Former Twin Matt Wisler was solid statistically again last year, but remains a low-leverage candidate as his analytic numbers simply aren’t good. David Price and Mychal Givens are both solid veterans with lots of experience, but neither is a difference maker. With that being said, both would be useful options in low-leverage situations and would represent an upgrade.

Scott Alexander, Tommy Kahnle, and Pierce Johnson all represent players who could be excellent set-up men, but all three went through a very injury-filled season. They each would be great options, but only if they were signed at a decent price (Johnson especially).

The last player on this list is another former Minnesota Twins player, one who it would be fun to see back here: Trevor May. Though he struggled with injuries in 2022, his velocity is still there and would be worth a gamble.

Minnesota Twins Top Free Agent Relief Pitchers: No. 6-No.1

• No. 6: Alex Reyes
• No. 5: Andrew Chafin
• No. 4: Taylor Rogers
• No. 3: Aroldis Chapman
• No. 2: Craig Kimbrel
• No. 1: Kenley Jansen

It’s a bit disappointing that there are six top relievers on the market for 2023, and one of them, Alex Reyes, might not be able to pitch this season. The injury-prone 2021 All-Star was non-tendered by the St. Louis Cardinals, but just like Chad Green, would be a solid pitcher to pick up on a two-year deal, as he has closer-level stuff when on the field.

Andrew Chafin has been one of baseball’s best set-up man over the past two seasons, thus drawing the designation of the best non-closer on our list. If the Twins offered a multi-year deal with some solid cash, he’d instantly solidify the bullpen.

A reunion with former Twin Taylor Rogers would also make a lot of sense. The team needs another left-handed reliever, and after a tough year, he could come with a discount. Pairing him with Lopez, Duran, and Alcala could allow him to settle in a bit more and return to the All-Star level he was at in 2021.

The next two are Aroldis Chapman and Craig Kimbrel, a pair of aging closers who struggled last year. Both have come back down to Earth over the last couple of years, but each are still good enough to handle closing duties with Duran handling the tougher batters.

The last pitcher on this list is the clear top reliever with Edwin Diaz re-signing in New York: Kenley Jansen. Just three saves behind Kimbrel on the all-time list at 391, Jansen needs just 35 saves to pass John Franco for fifth on the all-time saves list, a mark he’s crossed in both of the past two years.

Adding Jansen to the bullpen would make a weakness a legitimate strength and allow for Rocco to begin using his bullpen in the same way he tried to last year, but with a lot more success. If they were able to add another reliever on top of that, the team could become a real contender next season.